Shine Like A Lightbulb

A lot of us often feel like the best way to navigate through life is to be laser focused. Find the shortest way to achieve our goal and forget everything else until we've accomplished it. In many contexts, this is a valuable and effective strategy. However, as strong as lasers may be in many aspects, they are not particularly effective at lighting up a dark room. For that, you need a lightbulb. A lightbulb radiates light out in all directions equally so that the entire room is filled with light. When we are sharing the gospel and letting our light shine, sometimes we need to be more like the lightbulb than the laser. Spreading the light and love of our Savior shouldn't be stressful or rushed or scheduled down to the exact minute. When the priest and the Levite were so laser focused on their task they missed the opportunity to help someone dying on the side of the road. When the Pharisees were so laser focused on paying tithes on mint and anise and cummin, they completely lost sight of the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith (Matthew 23:23). I know we want to cut through all of the unpleasant bits of life and jump right to the Celestial Kingdom but life isn't something we're supposed to rush through to get to the end. "I think of our Lord and Exemplar, Jesus Christ, and His short life among the people of Galilee and Jerusalem. I have tried to imagine Him bustling between meetings or multitasking to get a list of urgent things accomplished. I can’t see it. Instead I see the compassionate and caring Son of God purposefully living each day. When He interacted with those around Him, they felt important and loved. He knew the infinite value of the people He met. He blessed them, ministered to them. He lifted them up, healed them. He gave them the precious gift of His time." (Dieter F. Uchtdorf, "Of Regrets and Resolutions" October 2012). If we love God and our neighbors with all of our heart, might, mind and strength, then we will let our light shine like a lightbulb, not trying to hurry or rush to get past all of these distractions and get to our final destination, but content to just exist in the present moment and find joy in the journey and fill the whole room with our light rather than just a single laser point.